DESCRIPTION
This quick soup is built around one of my favorite habits from learning to cook for two: choosing ingredients that let you decide how much to use, no half cans left in the fridge! For the tomato paste, you only need two tablespoons, so buy the tube and squeeze out just the amount you want. I also use frozen lima beans or soybeans (edamame) so I can take exactly what I need and pop the rest back in the freezer. Edamame are actually one of my favorite healthy snacks, so I almost always have a bag on hand.
Ingredients
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- 2 strips bacon, chopped*
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste**
- 2 and 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen beans, such as lima or soy
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup dry orzo (or other small pasta)
Instructions
- Set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat from the pot and discard.
- To the bacon in the saucepan add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir. Add the tomato paste and cook while stirring for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the stock, frozen beans, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the orzo. Once the liquid comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, 7-9 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
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Notes
*If you’d like to omit the bacon, sauté the vegetables in 1 teaspoon of olive oil instead.
**If you don’t have a tube of tomato paste and you don’t want to open a can, you can use 3 tablespoons of salsa instead. It changes the flavor a tiny bit, but works well. It tends to be a bit saltier than tomato paste though, so taste before adding the salt in the recipe.